WOTW: zone
| - Tim Lake |
“Zone” is a noun, but it’s also used as a verb. It is to do with land and space. We will have a look at the meanings and see some examples. Here we go.
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The main meaning of “zone” is an area of land with a specific character, purpose or use.
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+ There is a demilitarised zone between North and South Korea.
+ This is a pedestrian zone; no cars are permitted.
+ The area has been declared a disaster zone after the flooding.
+ He was caught driving 60 km/h in a 30 km/h zone.
+ The park is divided into five different zones, each with a different theme.
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We often commonly talk about time zones.
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+ Portugal and the UK are actually in the same time zone.
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The verb “zone” comes from the noun and means divide into zones. It is very often used in the passive voice.
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+ The botanical garden has been zoned into four specific ecological regions.
+ This land is zoned for housing.
+ This town has very strict zoning laws.
+ The house and grounds are zoned for industrial use.
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Especially in American English the phrasal verb “zone out” is used to mean not concentrate.
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+ I’m sorry. I just zoned out for a minute. What did you say?
+ You’ve been zoning out all day long, what’s the matter?
+ The heat last week was causing me to zone out on the train.
+ This is a great record to put on and zone out to.
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The pronunciation is / zəʊn /.
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This word is in the New General Service List, a list of the 3,000 most common words in English communication. You can get the full list on our website by clicking here.
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この単語は、英語で最もよく使われる3,000の単語のリストであるNew General Service Listからのものです。完全なリストはこちらから。
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